COMMENTS
v. 28.0 – 14 June 2024  view/download PDF

Family GOBIIDAE Gobies (Didigobius through Heteroplopomus)
Taxonomic note: includes taxa formerly included in the families Kraemeriidae, Microdesmidae and Schindleriidae.

Didogobius Miller 1966    Dido, an ancient queen of Tyre, who sailed the eastern Mediterranean (where D. bentuvii occurs) to found the city of Carthage; gobius, goby

Didogobius bentuvii Miller 1966    in honor of Adam Ben-Tuvia (1919-1999), Hebrew University of Jerusalem, who collected type and made many valuable contributions to Mediterranean ichthyology

Didogobius kochi Van Tassell 1988    in honor of Rudolf Koch, who ran a dive shop on the south shore of Gran Canaria; he took Van Tassell diving, filled his tanks and repaired equipment problems (all for no charge), and whose knowledge of underwater habitats led to the discovery of new species and range extensions for gobioid fishes in the Canary Islands (James L. Van Tassell, pers. comm.)

Didogobius lanceolatus Schliewen, Knorrn & Böhmer 2023    Latin for “with a little lance,” from lanceola, a diminutive of lancea, meaning “lancet”, i.e., a small lancet, referring to its lancet-shaped caudal fin

Didogobius schlieweni Miller 1993    in honor of ichthyologist Ulrich Schliewen, Zoologische Staatssammlung München, who collected type and suggested the common name Andromeda Goby because of its nebula-like pattern of light and dark markings

Discordipinna Hoese & Fourmanoir 1978    discors, different; pinna, fin, referring to “peculiar” placement of first dorsal fin (originating over posterior end of operculum, widely separated from second dorsal fin) and elongated rays of first dorsal and pectoral fins of D. griessingeri

Discordipinna filamentosa Chen, Suzuki & Shao 2012    filamentous, referring to thread-like elongation of anterior two spinous rays of first dorsal fin

Discordipinna griessingeri Hoese & Fourmanoir 1978    in honor of J. M. (not S. as stated in description) Griessinger, then based at the Centre Océanologique du Pacifique (Vairao, Tahiti) and member of expedition to the Gambier Archipelago, where he collected a paratype (Douglass F. Hoese, pers. comm.)

Discordipinna vibrissa Allen & Erdmann 2024    Latin for whisker, referring to its whisker-like enlarged cephalic sensory-papilla tentacles

Dotsugobius Shibukawa, Suzuki & Senou 2014    Dotsu, named for Yoshie Dotsu (spelled “Dôtu” in his early publications), Nagasaki University (Japan), supervisor of the second author, for his “great” contribution to our knowledge about early-life history and taxonomy of Japanese fishes, particularly the gobies; gobius, goby

Dotsugobius bleekeri (Popta 1921)    in honor of Pieter Bleeker (1819-1878), the “outstanding” (translation) ichthyologist of the Dutch East Indies

Drombus Jordan & Seale 1905    etymology not explained; presumably not a local Filipino name for D. palackyi since Jordan used the same word for a Hawaiian frogfish, Antennarius drombus, in 1903

Drombus bontii (Bleeker 1849)    patronym not identified, perhaps in honor of Jacobus Bontius (Jacob de Bondt, 1592-1631), Dutch physician and pioneer of tropical medicine, whose 1631 “Historiae naturalis et medicae Indiae orientalis” was cited by Bleeker several times in other works (footnote: Bontius introduced the word “Orang Hutan” into western languages)

Drombus dentifer (Hora 1923)    dentis, tooth; fero, to bear, referring to its well-developed canine-like teeth

Drombus flavimentus Allen & Erdmann 2024    flavus, yellow; mentus, chin, referring to its bright-yellow chin and adjacent parts of body

Drombus globiceps (Hora 1923)    globus, globe or sphere; cephalus, head, referring to its “almost globular” head

Drombus halei Whitley 1935    in honor of Herbert M. Hale (1895-1963), Director of the South Australian Museum

Drombus key (Smith 1947)    etymology not explained, perhaps key, from the Spanish cay, a ridge of small rocks or islands in the sea, referring to Inhaca Island, Mozambique, type locality, or perhaps in honor a member of Smith’s staff or a Portuguese East Africa authority who assisted Smith during the June-July 1946 expedition that collected type (Smith named several new species in the same paper in honor of these individuals, but “Key” is not included in his acknowledgment)

Drombus lepidothorax Whitley 1945    lepido-, scaled; thorax, breast or chest, proposed as a subspecies of D. halei with a scaly (vs. scaleless) breast and lower pectoral-fin base

Drombus ocyurus (Jordan & Seale 1907)    ocy, swift; oura, tail, allusion not explained, presumably referring to “long, sharp-pointed” caudal fin

Drombus oligactis (Bleeker 1875)    oligo-, few; aktis, ray, presumably referring to fewer pectoral-fin rays (15-16 vs. 18) and/or caudal-fin rays (22 vs. 31) compared to Acentrogobius leptochilus (=Redigobius tambujon, Oxudercidae), its presumed congener at the time

Drombus palackyi Jordan & Seale 1905    in honor of Czech geographer and biogeographer Jan Palacký (1830-1908), author of Die Verbreitung der Fische (1895), a work containing a list of the fishes of the Philippines, where only known specimen was collected

Drombus simulus (Smith 1960)    somewhat pug-nosed, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to “fairly depressed” head

Drombus triangularis (Weber 1909)    presumably referring to white triangular spot at upper edge of pectoral-fin base

Drombus vexillifer (Fowler 1937)    vexillum, banner; fero, to bear, referring to extended spines on first dorsal fin

Ebomegobius Herre 1946    Ebomé, brackish stream at Kribi, Cameroon, type locality; gobius, goby

Ebomegobius goodi Herre 1946    in honor of Albert Irwin Good (1884-1975), “missionary and ardent collector of West African fishes,” who collected type

Echinogobius Iwata, Hosoya & Niimura 1998    echinos, spiny, referring to hard first spines of both dorsal fins; gobius, goby

Echinogobius hayashii Iwata, Hosoya & Niimura 1998    in honor of Masayoshi Hayashi, Curator, Yokosuka City Museum, who collected the first specimens and gave it its Japanese name (Moyoushinobi-haze)

Egglestonichthys Miller & Wongrat 1979    named for fisheries scientist David Eggleston, who collected type of D. patriciae and provided Miller with an “invaluable store of gobioid material taken during fisheries research in Hong Kong”; ichthys, fish

Egglestonichthys bombylios Larson & Hoese 1997    Greek for bumble bee, referring to its banded color pattern

Egglestonichthys fulmen Fujiwara, Suzuki & Motomura 2020    Latin for lightning, referring to bright-yellow zigzag pattern on upper body

Egglestonichthys melanoptera (Visweswara Rao 1971)    melano-, black; ptera, fin, referring to its “deep black” fins

Egglestonichthys patriciae Miller & Wongrat 1979    in honor of Mrs. Patricia Eggleston, presumably wife of David Eggleston (see genus), who collected type

Egglestonichthys rubidus Allen, Erdmann & Brooks 2020    reddish, referring to red to reddish-brown color of body, head and fins in life

Egglestonichthys ulbubunitj Larson 2013    named for the Ulbu Bunidj clan in Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Australia, where it occurs

Ego Randall 1994    “I” or “of myself” in the sense of egotistical, referring to its big head (deeper than its body)

Ego zebra Randall 1994    referring to its zebra-like black bars

Elacatinus Jordan 1904    spindle-like, allusion not explained, possibly referring to fusiform body of E. oceanops

Elacatinus atronasus (Böhlke & Robins 1968)    ater, black; nasus, nose, referring to its blackish snout

Elacatinus cayman Victor    for the Cayman Islands, where it is endemic

Elacatinus centralis Victor 2014    central, referring to its central Caribbean distribution in the Cayman Islands

Elacatinus chancei (Beebe & Hollister 1933)    in honor of Col. Edwin M. Chance (d. 1954), president of United Engineers & Constructors Inc. (which built power plants), whose “interest and generosity” made the West Indian expedition (during which type was collected) possible

Elacatinus colini Randall & Lobel 2009    in honor of Patrick L. Colin (b. 1946), Coral Reef Research Foundation (Koror, Palau), for his “exceptional” doctoral thesis on the comparative biology of the genus, and for his help (providing color photographs and guidance) with the authors’ research

Elacatinus evelynae (Böhlke & Robins 1968)    in honor of Evelyn McCutcheon (1894-1977), the “gracious mistress of Treasure Island (Salt Cay) in the Bahamas, where the senior author and Mr. Charles C. G. Chaplin [ichthyologist] have spent many pleasant hours observing and collecting her fishes and enjoying her fine hospitality”

Elacatinus figaro Sazima, Moura & Rosa 1997    named for Figaro, the “smart and joyful” barber in Rossini’s opera The Barber of Seville (1816), referring to this goby’s cleaning behavior

Elacatinus genie (Böhlke & Robins 1968)    in honor of Eugenia (Genie) B. Böhlke (1929-2001), wife of the senior author and an accomplished ichthyologist herself [a noun in apposition, without the matronymic “ae”]

Elacatinus horsti (Metzelaar 1922)    in honor of Dutch zoologist C. J. van der Horst (1889-1951), who collected type during his 1920 stay at Curacao

Elacatinus illecebrosus (Böhlke & Robins 1968)    enticing or alluring, allusion not explained nor evident

Elacatinus jarocho Taylor & Akins 2007    local name for Veracruzanos, the native people of Veracruz, México (where this goby is endemic), “who have embraced the protection and conservation of the Veracruz reef system”

Elacatinus lobeli Randall & Colin 2009    in honor of ichthyologist Phillip S. Lobel, Boston University, who provided specimens, photographs and biological data

Elacatinus lori Colin 2002    in honor of Colin’s wife, Lori Jane Bell Colin, Co-Director, Manager and Research Scientist, Coral Reef Research Foundation (Koror, Palau), for her numerous contributions to the biology of coral reef fishes [a noun in apposition, without the matronymic “ae”]

Elacatinus louisae (Böhlke & Robins 1968)    in honor of Louise C. Chaplin (1906-1983), who, with her husband, ichthyologist Charles C. G. Chaplin (1906-1991), made possible the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia’s shorefish program in the Bahamas, during which type was collected

Elacatinus oceanops Jordan 1904    oceanus, sea; ops, eye, referring to its color, “suggesting” that of the Matasami (eye of the sea), Malacanthus latovittatus (Perciformes: Malacanthidae)

Elacatinus phthirophagus Sazima, Carvalho-Filho & Sazima 2008    phtheiros, louse; phagos, to eat, referring to its feeding mostly on larval, parasitic gnathiid isopods it picks from its clients

Elacatinus pridisi Guimarães, Gasparini & Rocha 2004    in honor of the Brazilian Navy First District (Primeiro Distrito Naval, Marinha do Brasil, or “PRIDIS”), for the “impeccable logistic support” provided during the authors’ field trips to Trindade Island, off Brazil, type locality

Elacatinus prochilos (Böhlke & Robins 1968)    pro, forward; chilos, lips, referring to forward position of mouth as contrasted to E. genie

Elacatinus puncticulatus (Ginsburg 1938)    dotted, referring to very small, intensely dark spots “rather evenly but not very thickly distributed” all over body, with additional “tiny dots” visible under high magnification

Elacatinus randalli (Böhlke & Robins 1968)    in honor of John E. Randall (1924-2020), Bishop Museum (Honolulu), the authors’ “frequent accomplice in ichthyological pursuits,” who collected many of the specimens of this goby and otherwise has contributed greatly to knowledge of West Indian fishes

Elacatinus rubrifrons (Fowler 1944)    ruber, red; frons, front, referring to “pearly-pink” bands on head

Elacatinus serranilla Randall & Lobel 2009    named for Serranilla Bank, Caribbean Sea, type locality

Elacatinus tenox (Böhlke & Robins 1968)    te, referring to TE-42, a station number in Dominica based on the initials of its collectors, ichthyologists James C. Tyler (b. 1935) and William N. Eschmeyer (b. 1939); nox, night, referring to its dark color

Elacatinus xanthiprora (Böhlke & Robins 1968)    xanthus, yellow; prora, prow, referring to yellow mid-rostral stripe

Eleotrica Ginsburg 1933    –ica, belonging to: etymology not explained, perhaps referring to its initial classification in the family Eleotridae

Eleotrica cableae Ginsburg 1933    in honor of U.S. government biologist Louella E. Cable (1900-1986), who illustrated this goby for Ginsburg, and called his attention to its ventral fins not being united

Evermannichthys Metzelaar 1919    –ia, belonging to: the “well-known” ichthyologist Barton Warren Evermann (1853-1932), for his “kind assistance”

Evermannichthys bicolor Thacker 2001    two-colored, referring to its distinctive color pattern, dark on dorsal third of body, pale on remainder

Evermannichthys convictor Böhlke & Robins 1969    guest, referring to its living deep within the canals of sponges

Evermannichthys metzelaari Hubbs 1923    in honor of Dutch ichthyologist Jan Metzelaar (1891-1929), who described this goby in 1919 but used a name (E. spongicola) that is preoccupied by Garmania spongicola Radcliffe 1917 when both are placed in Evermannichthys

Evermannichthys silus Böhlke & Robins 1969    pug-nosed, referring to its facial appearance

Evermannichthys spongicola (Radcliffe 1917)    spongi-; sponge; –cola, dweller or inhabitant, referring to its habit of living inside the cavities of large cup-like sponges

Eviota Jenkins 1903    ev-, latinization (for euphony) of the Greek prefix eu-, good or well, i.e., very; iota, smallest letter in the Greek alphabet and often figuratively used to describe anything small or insignificant, referring to E. epiphanes, which, at 1.0-1.9 cm in length, Jenkins claimed was the “smallest vertebrate that has up to this time been described”

Eviota abax (Jordan & Snyder 1901)    a checkerboard, presumably referring to each scale with a dark border

Eviota afelei Jordan & Seale 1906    in honor of Afele, a Samoan boy who collected type from coral heads in Pago Pago

Eviota albolineata Jewett & Lachner 1983    albus, white; lineata, lined, referring to pale stripes laterally situated on head

Eviota algida Greenfield & Erdmann 2014    cold, referring to its occurrence in cooler (18-29°C), deep upwelling waters off Nusa Penida, Indonesia

Eviota amamiko Fujiwara, Suzuki & Motomura 2019    named for Amamiko (also spelled Amamikyu and Amamichuu), creation goddess of the Ryukyu Islands (where it occurs) in Japanese mythology [a noun in apposition, without the matronymic “ae”]

Eviota amphipora Greenfield & Erdmann 2020    amphi-, both sides or double; poros, hole, referring to pair of PITO (posterior interorbital) pores, one on each side of interorbital area

Eviota ancora Greenfield & Suzuki 2011    hooked, referring to distinctive orange hook-shaped marking on side of head

Eviota angustifascia Greenfield & Erdmann 2020    angustus, narrow; fascia, band, referring to narrow, white, vertical lines crossing body

Eviota aquila Greenfield & Jewett 2014    dark-colored or blackish, referring to its generally dark coloration, particularly the head, nape and cheek

Eviota asymbasia Greenfield & Jewett 2016    Greek for inconsistency, referring to its preopercular pores, which are usually, but not always, absent

Eviota atauroensis Greenfield, Erdmann & Tornabene 2023    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Ataro Island, Timor-Lest, type locality

Eviota atriventris Greenfield & Suzuki 2012    atri-, black; ventris, belly, referring to black pigment in area of abdomen

Eviota bacata Greenfield, Erdmann & Teitelbaum 2024     Latin for adorned with pearls, referring to strong of round white spots across dark abdomen

Eviota bifasciata Lachner & Karnella 1980    bi-, two; fasciata, banded, referring to upper and lower dark streaks on caudal peduncle and caudal fin

Eviota bilunula Greenfield & Suzuki 2016    bi-, two; lunula, little moon, referring to two distinctive black crescent-shaped marks underneath pectoral fin

Eviota bimaculata Lachner & Karnella 1980    bi-, two; maculata, spotted, referring to pair of dark occipital spots on each side of head

Eviota bipunctata Greenfield & Jewett 2016    bi-, two; punctata, spotted, referring to two dark spots on fleshy pectoral-fin base

Eviota brahmi Greenfield & Tornabene 2014    in honor of Brahm Kai Erdmann (son of marine biologist Mark V. Erdmann), who pointed out that fishes similar to E. nigriventris captured at Raja Ampat did not match the photos of that species in his father’s book, Reef Fishes of the East Indies

Eviota cometa Jewett & Lachner 1983    comet, referring to spot at caudal-fin base and its trailing dark streak

Eviota dalyi Greenfield & Gordon 2019    in honor of Ryan Daly, South African marine biologist, oceanographer, and Research Director at Save Our Oceans D’Arros Research Centre (Seychelles), who photographed and collected type and played a “major role” in surveying the fishes of the Seychelles Islands

Eviota deminuta Tornabene, Ahmadia & Williams 2013    small or diminutive, referring to its “tiny size and reduced morphology” (reaching 11.8 mm SL)

Eviota disrupta Karnella & Lachner 1981    broken up, referring to dark vertical bars on trunk, some of which are almost always irregularly broken into elongate, oval or oblong marks on anterolateral portion of body

Eviota distigma Jordan & Seale 1906    di-, two; stigma, mark or spot, referring to two black spots at base of pectoral fin

Eviota dorsimaculata Tornabene, Ahmadia & Williams 2013    dorsi-, back; maculata, spotted, referring to spot on dorsal half of caudal peduncle

Eviota dorsogilva Greenfield & Randall 2011    dorso-, back; gilvus, pale yellow, referring to color of body above lateral line

Eviota dorsopurpurea Greenfield & Randall 2011    dorso-, back; purpura, purple, referring to color of body above lateral line

Eviota epiphanes Jenkins 1903    etymology not explained, perhaps from epiphaneia, striking appearance, referring to its blue and sometimes “very bright” belly, orange caudal fin and translucent body, and/or from epiphainein, to come suddenly into view, referring to how this minute goby was collected by breaking up heads of coral over a dip net

Eviota epistigmata Greenfield & Jewett 2014    epi, over; stigmata, spot or mark, referring to dark mark on upper portion of caudal peduncle

Eviota erdmanni Tornabene & Greenfield 2016    in honor of marine biologist Mark V. Erdmann (b. 1968), “who has tirelessly photographed and collected numerous individuals of Eviota, many of which are new to science, including this species”

Eviota eyreae Greenfield & Randall 2016    in honor of Janet Van Sickle Eyre (b. 1955), diver and volunteer (Reef Environmental Education Foundation), who collected and photographed this goby in Fiji, and who also was of great assistance in the authors’ studies of the genus

Eviota fallax Greenfield & Allen 2012    deceitful or false, referring to its superficial similarity to E. natalis

Eviota fasciola Karnella & Lachner 1981    diminutive of fascia, band, referring to dark, discrete vertical bars nearly encircling trunk

Eviota filamentosa Sukuzi & Greenfield 2014    filamentous, referring to thread-like first dorsal-fin spine

Eviota flaviarma Greenfield & Erdmann 2021    flavus, yellow; arma, shouldered, referring to yellow upper pectoral-fin base

Eviota flavipinnata Suzuki, Greenfield & Motomura 2015    flavus, yellow; pinna, fin, referring to its golden-yellow dorsal and caudal fins

Eviota flebilis Greenfield, Suzuki & Shibukawa 2014    tearful, referring to distinctive tear-like red line under eye

Eviota fluctiphila Greenfield, Erdmann & Mambrasar 2022    fluctus, ocean waves; phila, loving, referring to its occurrence in shallow subtidal (0.2–2 m), wave-washed, volcanic rock exposed to near-constant surge conditions, where they shelter in small cracks in the vertical rock faces

Eviota geminata Greenfield & Bogorodsky 2014    twin, referring to its “great similarity” to E. randalli

Eviota gunawanae Greenfield, Tornabene & Erdmann 2019    in honor of Tiene Gunawan, “one of Indonesia’s foremost marine conservationists who has dedicated the past two decades to expanding the marine protected area network of West Papua and formulating policies to protect the biodiverse marine ecosystems contained therein”; she also helped plan and launch the marine biodiversity survey of the Fakfak coastline that led to the discovery of this goby

Eviota guttata Lachner & Karnella 1978    dappled or speckled, referring to numerous fine spots on upper head, trunk and caudal fin

Eviota herrei Jordan & Seale 1906    in honor of ichthyologist-lichenologist Albert W. Herre (1868-1962), Jordan’s student at the time

Eviota hinanoae Tornabene, Ahmadia & Williams 2013    in honor of Hinano Murphy, President of Te Pu Atitia (Atitia Center) and Associate Director of Administration & Outreach at US Berkeley Gump Research Station in Mo’orea, French Polynesia, who, along with her husband Frank, were instrumental in facilitating research in Mo’orea, thus resulting in the discovery of this goby

Eviota hoesei Gill & Jewett 2004    in honor of friend and colleague Douglass F. Hoese (b. 1942), Australian Museum (Sydney), for his “important” contributions to the systematics of gobioid fishes

Eviota imitata Greenfield, Tornabene & Edrmann 2017    mimicked or imitated, referring to its similarity to E. flebilis

Eviota indica Lachner & Karnella 1980    Indian, referring to its distribution in the Indian Ocean

Eviota infulata (Smith 1957)    adorned with a fillet (a thin narrow strip of material), allusion not explained, perhaps referring to long anterior rays of first dorsal fin in males

Eviota inutilis Whitley 1943    useless, named for type locality, Useless Inlet, Shark Bay, Western Australia

Eviota irrasa Karnella & Lachner 1981    unpolished or unshaved, referring to “indiscrete nature” of pigment pattern on head and trunk compared with E. fasciola and E. disrupta

Eviota japonica Jewett & Lachner 1983    –ica, belonging to: Japan, referring to its occurrence in Japanese waters

Eviota jewettae Greenfield & Winterbottom 2012    in honor Susan Jewett (formerly Karnella, b. 1945), Collection Manager, Division of Fishes, Smithsonian Institution, who previously recognized this species as undescribed in 1978; during the 1970s and 1980s she, and Ernest A. Lachner described many new Eviota species and laid the foundation for the study of the genus

Eviota karaspila Greenfield & Randall 2010    kara, head; spilos, spot, referring to its distinctive occipital spot

Eviota kermadecensis Hoese & Stewart 2012    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Kermadec Islands of New Zealand, only known area of occurrence

Eviota korechika Shibukawa & Suzuki 2005    in honor of Korechika Yano, Dive Service YANO (Iriomote Island, Japan), who provided many interesting fish species, including type of this one [a noun in apposition, without the patronymic “i”]

Eviota lachdeberei Giltay 1933    patronym not identified, perhaps in honor of Lt.-Col. Philip Frederik Lambertus Christiaan Lach de Bère (1859-1936), Royal Netherlands East Indies Army, who lived in Indonesia, where this goby was collected

Eviota lacrimae Sunobe 1988    genitive of lacrima, tear, referring to dark bar below eye, across lip to the chin

Eviota lacrimosa Tornabene, Ahmadia & Williams 2013    tearful or weeping, referring to bar below eye, which is reminiscent of a tear

Eviota lateritea Greenfield & Winterbottom 2016    laterite, a mineral producing the red dust that is all-pervasive in southern New Caledonia (where this goby occurs), referring to its red coloration

Eviota latifasciata Jewett & Lachner 1983    latus, broad or wide; fasciata, banded, referring to broad subcutaneous bars on trunk

Eviota lentiginosa Greenfield & Randall 2017    full of freckles, referring to many tiny dark spots covering yellow head and body

Eviota longirostris Tornabene, Greenfield & Erdmann 2021    longus, long; rostris, snout, referring to relatively long snout compared with others in the E. zebrina complex

Eviota maculibotella Greenfield & Winterbottom 2016    maculos, spotted; botellus, a small sausage (apparently the origin of the English word pudding), referring to spots on male urogenital papilla, which are reminiscent of the British pudding known as “spotted dick,” which is light brown with dark spots

Eviota maculosa Greenfield, Tornabene & Erdmann 2018    spotted, referring to distinctive large black spots on first dorsal fin of males

Eviota marerubrum Tornabene, Greenfield & Erdmann 2021    maris, sea; ruber, red, referring to Red Sea, type locality

Eviota marteynae Greenfield & Erdmann 2020    in honor of Marteyne van Well, General Manager, Six Senses Resort (Laamu Atoll, Maldive Islands), for her “deep commitment to sustainability in the hospitality industry and her strong support for marine conservation initiatives that protect the reefs where this species is found”

Eviota masudai Matsuura & Senou 2006    in honor of the late Hajime Masuda (1921-2005), University of Tokyo, “who contributed greatly to Japanese and Indo-west Pacific ichthyology through his many books containing excellent photographs”

Eviota melanosphena Greenfield & Jewett 2016    melanos, black; sphena, wedge, referring to dark, wedge-shaped mark at base of caudal fin

Eviota melasma Lachner & Karnella 1980    black spot, referring to dark occipital spot on each side of head

Eviota mikiae Allen 2001    in honor of Miki Tonozuka of Bali, Indonesia, for her assistance in the field during the Weh Island survey, during which type was collected

Eviota mimica Greenfield & Randall 2016    imitative, referring to its superficial similarity to E. minuta

Eviota minuta Greenfield & Jewett 2014    little or small, referring to its small size, almost always under 14 mm SL

Eviota monostigma Fourmanoir 1971    mono-, one; stigma, mark or spot, referring to black blotch at base of pectoral fin

Eviota natalis Allen 2007    Christmas, named for Christmas Island, eastern Indian Ocean, where it is endemic

Eviota nebulosa Smith 1958    cloudy or dark, presumably referring to its color in alcohol, “milky grey with dusky specklings and marks”

Eviota nigramembrana Greenfield & Suzuki 2013    nigra, black; membrana, membrane, referring to distinctive black pigment on opercular membrane

Eviota nigripinna Lachner & Karnella 1980    nigra, black; pinna, fin, referring to black first dorsal fin

Eviota nigrispina Greenfield & Suzuki 2010    nigra, black; spina, backbone, referring to black pigment extending along backbone

Eviota nigriventris Giltay 1933    nigra, black; ventris, belly, referring to black or dusky ventral half of body in alcohol (red in living specimens)

Eviota notata Greenfield & Jewett 2012    marked, referring to large, dark marks on head and nape

Eviota occasa Greenfield, Winterbottom & Suzuki 2014    sunset, referring to distinctive yellow-orange broad wedge-shaped bar at caudal-fin base on a red body, reminiscent of a sunset

Eviota ocellifer Shibukawa & Suzuki 2005    ocellus, little eye; fero, to bear, referring to semi-ocellated spot on anteroventral part of first dorsal fin

Eviota oculineata Tornabene, Greenfield & Erdmann 2021    oculis, eye; lineata, striped, referring to stripes through eye, which distinguishes it from E. cometa

Eviota oculopiperita Greenfield & Bogorodsky 2014    oculus, eye; piperita, specific name of the peppermint plant, Mentha piperita, referring to color of eye, which resembles a peppermint candy

Eviota pamae Allen, Brooks & Erdmann 2013    in honor of Pamela Scott Rorke, second author’s wife and a diving member of the expedition that discovered this goby

Eviota pardalota Lachner & Karnella 1978    spotted like a leopard, referring to its numerous body spots

Eviota partimacula Randall 2008    partio, divide; macula, spot, referring to large black spot at base of caudal fin that is nearly divided by a midlateral pale dash

Eviota pellucida Larson 1976    clear or transparent, referring to its transparent rose-pink coloration in life (plain yellowish in alcohol)

Eviota perspicilla Fujiwara, Suzuki & Motomura 2019    eyeglasses or spectacles, referring to two small circular translucent white spots along first dorsal-fin base

Eviota pictifacies Greenfield & Erdmann 2017    pictus, painted; facies, face, referring to bright-red spots on side of head, similar to those painted on a clown

Eviota pinocchioi Greenfield & Winterbottom 2012    of the fictional character Pinocchio, who had a nose that grew long when he lied, alluding to its exceptionally long anterior tubular nares

Eviota piperata Greenfield & Winterbottom 2014    peppered, referring to “heavy peppering” of melanophores over head and rest of body

Eviota prasina (Klunzinger 1871)    leek, referring to light-green, leek-like coloration

Eviota prasites Jordan & Seale 1906    prasina, leek; –ites, like, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to superficial similarity to E. prasina

Eviota pseudaprica Winterbottom & Greenfield 2020    pseudo-, false, referring to similarity in coloration with Sueviota aprica, especially on the nape

Eviota pseudostigma Lachner & Karnella 1980    pseudo-, false; stigma, mark or spot, referring to incomplete development of pectoral-base spot compared to E. monostigma

Eviota pseudozebrina Tornabene, Greenfield & Erdmann 2021    pseudo-, false, i.e., although it may resemble E. zebrina, such an appearance is false

Eviota punctulata Jewett & Lachner 1983    diminutive of punctum, spot, referring to small dark spots on fins

Eviota punyit Tornabene, Valdez & Erdmann 2016    named for Pulau Punyit (an island), Negara Brunei Darussalam, where this “beautiful” species was first recognized as being distinct from E. sebreei

Eviota queenslandica Whitley 1932    –ica, belonging to: proposed as a Queensland (Australia) subspecies of E. viridis (=prasina)

Eviota raja Allen 2001    named for the Raja Ampat Islands, Irian Jaya Province, Indonesia, only known area of occurrence

Eviota randalli Greenfield 2009    in honor of ichthyologist John E. Randall (1924-2020), Bishop Museum (Honolulu), who has “greatly furthered Eviota systematics by photographing and collecting many species, including a number new to science”

Eviota readerae Gill & Jewett 2004    in honor of Sally E. Reader (Australian Museum, Sydney), who assisted the first author with the collection of most of the type specimens, and kindly arranged the loan of specimens for this study

Eviota richardi Greenfield & Randall 2016    in honor of goby taxonomist Richard Winterbottom (b. 1944), Royal Ontario Museum, who made important collections in Fiji, also recognized this species as undescribed, and provided invaluable help to the first author

Eviota rubra Greenfield & Randall 1999    red, referring to its bright-red markings in life

Eviota rubriceps Greenfield & Jewett 2011    rubrum, red; ceps, head, referring to its distinctive red head in life

Eviota rubriguttata Greenfield & Suzuki 2011    ruber, red; guttatus, spotted, referring to distinctive red spots on dorsal and anal fins

Eviota rubrimaculata Suzuki, Greenfield & Motomura 2015    rubra, red; macula, spot, referring to distinctive red spots on head and body

Eviota rubrisparsa Greenfield & Randall 2010    rubra, red; sparsus, sprinkled, referring to “main live color pattern of red dots”

Eviota saipanensis Fowler 1945    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Saipan Island, western Pacific, type locality

Eviota santanai Greenfield & Erdmann 2013    in honor of Connisso Antonino (“Nino Konis”) Santana (1957-1988), a national hero in Timor-Leste’s struggle for independence who was renowned for his environmental awareness; type locality is in Tutuala, just offshore of Santana’s birthplace, and is located within the Nino Konis Santana National Park

Eviota sebreei Jordan & Seale 1906    in honor of Capt. Uriel Sebree (1848-1922), U.S. Navy, commandant at the U.S. Naval Station Tutuila (American Samoa), and through whom the gunboat Wheeling and its equipment were placed at the authors’ disposal

Eviota shibukawai Suzuki & Greenfield 2014    in honor of Koichi Shibukawa, Nagao Natural Environment Foundation, who collected and photographed type, for his “great” contribution to our knowledge of the systematics of the Gobioidei

Eviota shimadai Greenfield & Randall 2010    in honor of Kazuhiko Shimada, Okinawa Prefectural Fisheries and Ocean Research Center, who previously (1993) recognized this species in Japan as being undescribed

Eviota sigillata Jewett & Lachner 1983    adorned with little figures or marks, referring to seven dark, subcutaneous ventral midline spots

Eviota singula Greenfield & Winterbottom 2016    one, referring to the single obvious dark spot on occiput

Eviota smaragdus Jordan & Seale 1906    emerald, presumably referring to “translucent, bright grass-green” color of one specimen (another specimen was greenish yellow)

Eviota sodwanaensis Greenfield & Winterbottom 2016    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Sodwana Bay, Kwazulu-Natal Province, South Africa, type locality

Eviota sparsa Jewett & Lachner 1983    sprinkled or flecked, referring to chromatophores scattered over body

Eviota specca Greenfield, Suzuki & Shibukawa 2014    speckled, referring to heavy speckling of chromatophores over body

Eviota spilota Lachner & Karnella 1980    spot, referring to spots on second dorsal fin

Eviota springeri Greenfield & Jewett 2012    in honor of ichthyologist Victor G. Springer (b. 1928), U.S. National Museum, who collected a number of the type specimens, as well as many specimens of other Eviota species, thereby contributing greatly to the authors’ studies

Eviota storthynx (Rofen 1959)    tusk, referring to its elongate anterior nostrils, which look like tusks [author previously known as Harry]

Eviota susanae Greenfield & Randall 1999    in honor Susan Jewett (formerly Karnella, b. 1945), Collection Manager, Division of Fishes, Smithsonian Institution, whose publications with Ernest A. Lachner “laid the groundwork for all future studies” of the genus

Eviota taeiae Erdmann, Greenfield & Tornabene 2023    in memory of Sue Miller Taei (d. 2020), a “passionate and highly respected marine conservationist who dedicated her career to the reefs and peoples of the Pacific ‘Oceanscape’, and especially to her native Samoa”; she “tragically passed away [from cancer] shortly after this beautiful new species was discovered”

Eviota teresae Greenfield & Randall 2016    in honor of the senior author’s wife Teresa, who assisted in collecting the type material and has provided field, editorial, and moral support to her husband for many years

Eviota tetha Greenfield & Erdmann 2014    in honor of Creusa Hitipeuw (1969-2013), known to her colleagues as “Tetha,” a “passionate and highly-respected Indonesian marine conservationist who dedicated her career to saving the coral reefs and especially marine turtles of Indonesia, with a strong focus on Teluk Cenderawasih and the Bird’s Head region of West Papua” (where this goby occurs); she passed away shortly after the discovery of this species after a brief and unexpected battle with cancer [a noun in apposition, without the matronymic “ae”]

Eviota thamani Greenfield & Randall 2016    in honor of Randolph R. Thaman, Professor of Pacific Islands Biogeography at the University of the South Pacific, for continuous support of the authors’ work in Fiji over the years, without which their research would not have been possible; in addition, he assisted Janet V. Eyre (see E. eyreae) in obtaining permission to collect Eviota specimens

Eviota tigrina Greenfield & Randall 2008    like a tiger, referring to narrow, black lines on scale pockets, which form spindle-like patterns like those on tigers

Eviota toshiyuki Greenfield & Randall 2010    in honor of ichthyologist Toshiyuki Suzuki, who collected type and provided photographs of other Eviota species (the authors chose “toshiyuki” over “suzuki” because the latter is a common surname in Japan) [presumably a noun in apposition, without the patronymic “i”]

Eviota variola Lachner & Karnella 1980    spotted, referring to spots on first dorsal-fin spine and filament

Eviota winterbottomi Greenfield & Randall 2010    in honor of Richard Winterbottom (b. 1944), Royal Ontario Museum, who first recognized this species as new from specimens he collected in Viêt Nam, maintains a working key to species of the genus, and provides valuable advice on goby systematics

Eviota zebrina Lachner & Karnella 1978    like a zebra, referring to dark oblique bars on caudal fin

Eviota zonura Jordan & Seale 1906    zona, belt or girdle; oura, tail, presumably referring to black bar before base of caudal fin

Exyrias Jordan & Seale 1906    unshaven, presumably referring to fully scaled cheeks of E. puntangoides (=puntang)

Exyrias akihito Allen & Randall 2005    in honor of Emperor Akihito of Japan (b. 1933), for his significant contributions to gobiid systematics; in addition, many of the type specimens were supplied by the Biological Laboratory of the Imperial Household in Tokyo [a noun in apposition, without the patronymic “i”]

Exyrias belissimus (Smith 1959)    misspelling of bellissimus, very beautiful, presumably referring to its “brilliant” coloration in life

Exyrias ferrarisi Murdy 1985    in honor of ichthyologist Carl Ferraris, Jr. (b. 1950), who collected type specimens during one of his and Murdy’s many goby expeditions to the Philippines

Exyrias puntang (Bleeker 1851)    Javanese name for many species of goby

Favonigobius Whitley 1930    etymology not explained, perhaps favonius, west wind, referring to type locality of F. lateralis (type species) in Western Australia; gobius, goby

Favonigobius exquisitus Whitley 1950    exquisite, a “beautiful little fish”

Favonigobius gymnauchen (Bleeker 1860)    gymnos, bare or naked; auchen, nape, referring to a scaleless triangular space extending backward from occiput to insertion of first dorsal fin

Favonigobius lateralis (Macleay 1881)    of the side, presumably referring to five large, reddish-brown spots “along the middle of each side of the body”

Favonigobius lentiginosus (Richardson 1844)    freckled, presumably referring to “minute white specks” in longitudinal rows along lower part of sides and/or “numerous whitish specks” on cheeks

Favonigobius melanobranchus (Fowler 1934)    melano-, black; branchus, gills, referring to black median band on under surface of head

Favonigobius opalescens (Herre 1936)    opalescent, presumably referring to “old ivory” color in alcohol and/or white spots on side, presumably a pearly spot on each scale in life

Favonigobius punctatus (Gill & Miller 1990)    spotted, referring to distinctive red and/or yellow spots which led to its initial separation from F. lateralis

Favonigobius reichei (Bleeker 1854)    in honor of Reiche (forename not given), who collected type, possibly M. Th. Reiche, Civil Medical Service, Dutch East Indies

Feia Smith 1959    ugly or ugly one, allusion not explained (but illustration of F. nympha that accompanies description depicts an unattractive fish relative to many other gobies)

Feia dabra Winterbottom 2005    an arbitrary combination of letters combining the first few letters of the given names of Winterbottom’s son, David, and of Bradley Hubley (Royal Ontario Museum), both of whom contributed “immeasurably to the success and wellbeing of the Palau biodiversity expedition team” that collected type

Feia nota Gill & Mooi 1999    mark, referring to pale spots on dorsal part of body

Feia nympha Smith 1959    nymph, an immature form of an insect that does not change greatly as it grows, probably referring to this goby’s small size (27 mm), and reflecting Smith’s comment that it is “[c]learly a degenerate fish”

Feia ranta Winterbottom 2003    an arbitrary combination of letters reflecting the first three letters of the forenames of Randall D. Mooi and Anthony C. Gill, two specialists in Indo-Pacific fish systematics who have worked on Feia; Mooi is additionally recognized for his help and “cheerful companionship” on collecting trips to the Philippines, Thailand and French Polynesia

Feia seba Allen, Erdmann & Brooks 2020    in honor of Sebastian (“Seba”) Tahing, who collected type; “Seba has been an indispensable assistant with our Milne Bay fish collections for many years—sharp-eyed and always willing to help.” [presumably a noun in apposition, without the patronymic “i”; third author’s name misspelled “Books” in original description]

Fusigobius Whitley 1930    etymology not explained, perhaps fusi-, fused, referring to fully united pelvic fins of F. neophytus (another explanation is fusus, spindle, but goby does not appear spindle-shaped to us); gobius, goby

Fusigobius aureus Chen & Shao 1997    yellow (or golden), referring to many golden-yellow spots scattered on body and fins

Fusigobius duospilus Hoese & Reader 1985    duo, two; spilos, spot, referring to two dark spots on dorsal fin

Fusigobius gracilis (Randall 2001)    slender, being the most slender species of the genus

Fusigobius humeralis (Randall 2001)    reference to black spot in humeral region, its most conspicuous marking’

Fusigobius humerosus Kovačić, Bogorodsky & Alpermann 2023    –osus, adjectival suffix: referring to its resemblance to its sister species F. humeralis, both of which have a distinct black spot in the humeral area above the pectoral-fin base

Fusigobius inframaculatus (Randall 1994)    infra-, inner; maculatus, spotted, referring to elongate internal black-and-white spots, which are conspicuous in life

Fusigobius longispinus Goren 1978    longus, long; spinus, spine, referring to very long first spine of anterior dorsal fin

Fusigobius maximus (Randall 2001)    largest, reaching 75 mm SL, the largest species of the genus

Fusigobius melacron (Randall 2001)    melas, black; akron, top or tip, referring to dark upper part of dorsal fin, its most characteristic color marking

Fusigobius neophytus (Günther 1877)    neo, new; phytos, grow, i.e., a beginner, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its size, a “tiny little fish” (translation), reaching 5 cm

Fusigobius pallidus (Randall 2001)    pale, referring to almost complete lack of color markings of preserved specimens

Fusigobius signipinnis Hoese & Obika 1988    signus, flag or sign; pinnis, fin, often seen flicking its first dorsal fin, which exposes a large black blotch that covers tips of first four rays

Gammogobius Bath 1971    gammo-, in honor of R. Gammon, Occidental College (Los Angeles, CA, USA), who collected type; gobius, goby

Gammogobius steinitzi Bath 1971    in honor of the late Heinz Steinitz (1909-1971), marine biologist and herpetologist (Hebrew University, Jerusalem), “whose unexpected death represents a great loss to ichthyology” (translation)

Ginsburgellus Böhlke & Robins 1968    –ellus, diminutive connoting endearment: in honor of Isaac Ginsburg (1886-1975), U.S. National Museum, “prominent student of American gobies”

Ginsburgellus novemlineatus (Fowler 1950)    novem, nine; lineatus, lined, referring to nine “narrow pearly blue to white lines or bands” on body

Gladiogobius Herre 1933    gladius, sword, referring to large spine, “shaped like a rooster’s spur,” at posterior angle of preopercle of G. ensifer

Gladiogobius brevispinis Shibukawa & Allen 2007    brevis, short; spinis, spine, referring to distinctive preopercular spine, shortest in the genus

Gladiogobius ensifer Herre 1933    ensis, sword; fero, to bear, referring to large spine, “shaped like a rooster’s spur,” at posterior angle of preopercle

Gladiogobius rex Shibukawa & Allen 2007    Latin for king, referring to its “brave appearance with armature consisting of a very long, sword-like” preopercular spine

Glossogobius Gill 1859    glossum, tongue, referring to deeply emarginate tongue of G. platycephalus (=giuris); gobius, goby

Glossogobius ankaranensis Banister 1994    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Ankarana reserve, Madagascar, where this blind cave goby occurs

Glossogobius asaro Whitley 1959    named for the Asaro River, five miles south of Goroka, New Guinea, type locality

Glossogobius aureus Akihito & Meguro 1975    gold, referring to its common name, pla bu tong (golden goby), along the Chao Phraya River of Thailand

Glossogobius bellendenensis Hoese & Allen 2009    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Bellenden Ker Range, a coastal mountain range in Far North Queensland, Australia, where type locality (Eubenagee Swamp, near Innisfail) is situated

Glossogobius bicirrhosus (Weber 1894)    bi-, two; cirrhosus, curled, referring to two short, thick, triangular barbels protruding from its chin

Glossogobius biorbitalis Endruweit 2024    bi-, two; orbitalis, pertaining to the orbit, referring to two orbital rows of papillae

Glossogobius brunnoides (Nichols 1951)    –oides, having the form of: referring to its superficial resemblance to Rhinogobius brunneus (Oxudercidae), its presumed congener at the time

Glossogobius bulmeri Whitley 1959    in honor of ethnobiologist Ralph N. H. Bulmer (1928-1988), National University (Canberra, Australia), who collected and presented type

Glossogobius callidus (Smith 1937)    expert, shrewd, crafty or cunning, allusion not explained nor evident [replacement name for Gobius gulosus Smith 1936, preoccupied by G. gulosus Girard 1858]

Glossogobius celebius (Valenciennes 1837)    –ius, adjectival suffix: Celebes (now Sulawesi), Indonesia, where it appears to be endemic

Glossogobius circumspectus (Macleay 1883)    cautious or wary, allusion not explained nor evident [placed in Astovelus by some workers, treated here as a synonym of Glossobobius]

Glossogobius clitellus Hoese & Allen 2012    saddle, referring to prominent saddles on back

Glossogobius coatesi Hoese & Allen 1990    in honor of fisheries scientist David Coates, who helped collect type, for his collecting and logistics assistance in Papua New Guinea

Glossogobius concavifrons (Ramsay & Ogilby 1886)    concavus, hollowed or arched inward; frons, forehead, referring to obtuse snout, “its profile concave posteriorly”

Glossogobius flavipinnis (Aurich 1938)    flavus, yellow; pinnis, fin, referring to yellow first dorsal fin

Glossogobius giuris (Hamilton 1822)    latinization of ghiyuri, one of its local Gangetic names in India (per Hamilton’s notes as published by Hora in 1934)

Glossogobius gnomus Hoese, Allen & Hadiaty 2017    gnome, a diminutive fabled being or dwarf, referring to its small size (24-32.5 mm SL)

Glossogobius hoesei Allen & Boeseman 1982    in honor of Douglass F. Hoese (b. 1942), Curator of Ichthyology at the Australian Museum (Sydney), for contributions to the knowledge of gobiid taxonomy

Glossogobius illimis Hoese & Allen 2012    without mud or clear, referring to its habitat of sandy, clear streams

Glossogobius intermedius Aurich 1938    intermediate in some features between other gobies in the area, G. matanensis, G. giuris and G. celebius

Glossogobius kokius (Valenciennes 1837)    latinization of Koku, its local name in India as reported by Russell (1803)

Glossogobius koragensis Herre 1935    –ensis, Koragu, New Guinea, type locality

Glossogobius laticeps (De Vis 1884)    latus, wide; ceps, head, referring to width of head, described as 1⅘ times its length

Glossogobius macrocephalus Hoese & Allen 2015    macro-, large; cephalus, head, referring to its large and robust head, its length 32.9-34.9% SL

Glossogobius mahalonensis Hoese, Hadiaty & Herder 2015    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Lake Mahalona, Sulawesi, Indonesia, where it is endemic

Glossogobius matanensis (Weber 1913)    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Lake Matano, Sulawesi, Indonesia, type locality (also occurs in lakes Mahalona, Towuti and Lontoa)

Glossogobius minutus Geevarghese & John 1983    small, referring to small size compared to congeners known at the time

Glossogobius multipapillus Hoese & Allen 2015    multi-, many; papillus, bud, referring to multiple rows of papillae on cheek

Glossogobius munroi Hoese & Allen 2012    in honor of Australian ichthyologist Ian S. R. Munro (1919-1994), who collected and accumulated material of Glossogobius from Australia and New Guinea

Glossogobius muscorum Hoese & Allen 2009    Latin for fly, referring to Fly River, Papua New Guinea, type locality

Glossogobius nanus Hoese, Allen & Hadiaty 2017    dwarf, referring to its small size (up to ~50 mm SL)

Glossogobius obscuripinnis (Peters 1868)    obscurus, dark or indistinct; pinnis, fin, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to any or all of the following: broad blackish crossband across middle of first dorsal fin, five rows of black spots forming wavy lines on second dorsal fin, dusky lower part of caudal fin, dusky pectoral fins, dusky to black anal and ventral fins

Glossogobius olivaceus (Temminck & Schlegel 1845)    olive-green, referring to its predominant color in life

Glossogobius pavo (Steindachner 1867)    peacock, probably referring to four large black spots along lateral line, and two deep-black spots, separated by a light-yellow spot, behind fifth spine of first dorsal fin

Glossogobius pumilus Hoese, Allen & Hadiaty 2017    dwarf, referring to its small size (24-41 mm SL)

Glossogobius quindecimradiatus Endruweit 2024    quindecim, fifteen; radiatus, rayed, referring to 15 rays in the pectoral fin

Glossogobius robertsi Hoese & Allen 2009    in honor of ichthyologist Tyson R. Roberts (b. 1940), who collected most of the type material

Glossogobius sandakanensis Inger 1957    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Sandakan, northern Borneo, type locality [treated as a synonym of G. circumspectus by some workers]

Glossogobius sentaniensis Hoese & Allen 2015    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Lake Sentani, New Guinea, type locality

Glossogobius sparsipapillus Akihito & Meguro 1976    sparsi, sparse; papillus, bud, referring to irregularly scattered rows of pit organs on opercle

Glossogobius tenuiformis Fowler 1934    tenuis, slender; formis, shape or form, referring to its slenderer body compared with G. giuris

Glossogobius torrentis Hoese & Allen 1990    swift stream, referring to its occurrence in swift mountain streams at elevations between 200 and 1800 m

Gobiodon Bleeker 1856    gobius, goby; odon, tooth, referring to pair of posterior canines near symphysis of lower jaw of G. heterospilos

Gobiodon acicularis Harold & Winterbottom 1995    needle-like, referring to elongated first dorsal-fin spine, characteristic of this species

Gobiodon albofasciatus Sawada & Arai 1972    albus, white; fasciatus, banded, referring to broad whitish longitudinal band along lateral line

Gobiodon albolineatus Smith 1959    albus, white; lineatus, lined, referring to “sharply defined light line” along base of dorsal and anal fins

Gobiodon aoyagii Shibukawa, Suzuki & Aizawa 2013    in honor of the late Hyoji Aoyagi (1912-1971), a Japanese ichthyologist who first provided accounts of this species from Japan (as G. rivulatus) with an excellent illustration

Gobiodon ater Herler, Bogorodsky & Suzuki 2013    black, referring to its uniformly black coloration in life, including the eye

Gobiodon atrangulatus Garman 1903    atra-, black, angulatus, angled, referring to small black spot on “upper angle” of gill cover

Gobiodon axillaris De Vis 1884    axillary, referring to blackish-red spot above axil of pectoral fin

Gobiodon bilineatus Herler, Bogorodsky & Suzuki 2013    bi-, two; lineatus, lined, referring to two distinct, bright-blue lines through eye, the only distinct color pattern it retains from juvenile to large adult

Gobiodon brochus Harold & Winterbottom 1999    with projecting teeth, referring to its “uniquely derived” lower jaw, modified anteromedially into a dentigerous, fleshy projection and a row of elongate, transversely oriented papillae in ventral portion of cheek

Gobiodon ceramensis (Bleeker 1853)    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Ceram, Indonesia, type locality (also occurs in Papua New Guinea and Queensland, Australia)

Gobiodon citrinus (Rüppell 1838)    like a citron (a lemon-like fruit), referring to yellow body and fins

Gobiodon erythrospilus Bleeker 1875    erythros, red; spilos, mark or spot, referring to stripes and spots on head and body a “beautiful carmine” (translation)

Gobiodon fulvus Herre 1927    tawny or brownish yellow, referring to uniform pale brown color in alcohol

Gobiodon fuscoruber Herler, Bogorodski & Suzuki 2013    fuscus, brown; ruber, red, referring to uniformly reddish-brown color in life

Gobiodon heterospilos Bleeker 1856    heteros, different; spilos, mark or spot, presumably referring to numerous round and oval black spots on head and tail, and complete absence of spots on body and other fins

Gobiodon histrio (Valenciennes 1837)    harlequin; coined by Kuhl & van Hasselt, presumably referring (per Valenciennes) to its resemblance to the Sargassum Fish, Lophius (now Histrio) histrio, but more likely referring to its gaudily striped pattern

Gobiodon howsoni Allen 2021    in honor of long-time friend Craig Howson, owner of the “luxurious” Australian cruise ship True North, who provided Allen with numerous collecting and diving opportunities in the Australia-New Guinea region, resulting in the discovery of several new species, including this one [Allen “revalidated” the name in 2023 but his original publication is ICZN-available]

Gobiodon irregularis Herler, Bogorodsky & Suzuki 2013    referring to its variable coloration, “in particular its irregular red wavy lines on the head and upper body in juveniles and subadults”

Gobiodon micropus Günther 1861    micro-, small; pous, foot, referring to “very short” ventral-fin disc, “not quite one-half the length of the head, not adherent to the belly”

Gobiodon multilineatus Wu 1979    multi-, many; lineatus, lined, referring to 10-12 bluish transverse lines descending from back towards belly and 4-6 bluish transverse lines on head

Gobiodon oculolineatus Wu 1979    ocula, eye; lineatus, lined, referring to two bluish transverse eyes originating under eye

Gobiodon okinawae Sawada, Arai & Abe 1972    of Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands, Japan, type locality (occurs from Cocos-Keeling Islands to Marshall Islands, and from Australia and Japan to Solomon Islands)

Gobiodon prolixus Winterbottom & Harold 2005    stretched out, referring to its more elongate body compared to congeners

Gobiodon quinquestrigatus (Valenciennes 1837)    quinque, five; strigatus, furrowed or grooved, referring to five narrow, vertical, white lines, two on cheek, two on operculum, one near base of chest

Gobiodon reticulatus Playfair 1867    net-like or netted, referring to “network of darker lines” between small whitish spots that create a net-like pattern on posterior part of trunk and tail

Gobiodon rivulatus (Rüppell 1830)    rivulated, i.e., marked by irregular streaks, referring to “carmine-red labyrinthine lines” (translation) on amber-green body

Gobiodon spadix Sato & Motomura 2024    Latin for reddish-brown, referring to ground coloration of head and body

Gobiodon spilophthalmus Fowler 1944    spilos, spot; ophthalmus, eye, presumably referring to large, blackish brown spots on head

Gobiodon unicolor (Castelnau 1873)    uni-, one, presumably referring to its light, apparently uniform, reddish-brown color “after dessication”

Gobiodon winterbottomi Suzuki, Yanao & Senou 2012    in honor of Richard Winterbottom (b. 1944), Royal Ontario Museum, for his “great” contribution to our knowledge of the gobioid systematics

Gobiopsis Steindachner 1861    –opsis, appearance, referring to its resemblance to Gobius and/or previous placement (in a manuscript by Heckel) of G. macrostomus in that genus

Gobiopsis angustifrons Lachner & McKinney 1978    angustus, narrow; frons, forehead, presumably referring to its narrow head

Gobiopsis arenaria (Snyder 1908)    sandy, referring to its occurrence in sandy pools

Gobiopsis atrata (Griffin 1933)    dressed in black, presumably referring to dull purple-brown color below lateral line and/or dark brown bases of caudal, pectoral and ventral fins

Gobiopsis bravoi (Herre 1940)    in honor of Pablo Bravo, Herre’s artist for many years

Gobiopsis canalis Lachner & McKinney 1978    canal or channel, referring to “unique extension of the preopercular canal from the lower POP pore dorsally to join the lateral cephalic canal”

Gobiopsis exigua Lachner & McKinney 1979    little, short or scanty, referring to short, poorly developed head barbels

Gobiopsis jackbrooksi Allen, Erdmann & Brooks 2018    in honor of John (“Jack”) Moldaw Brooks, the third author’s son (see also Priolepis billbrooksi and Tomiyamichthys stuarti)

Gobiopsis liolepis (Koumans 1931)    leios, smooth; lepis, scale, presumably referring to its cycloid scales [authorship may be attributable to Bleeker in Koumans 1931]

Gobiopsis macrostomus Steindachner 1861    macro-, large; stomus, mouth, referring to its “very wide and gaping” mouth (translation)

Gobiopsis malekulae (Herre 1935)    of Malekula Island, Vanuatu, type locality (also occurs in Indonesia and the Philippines)

Gobiopsis namnas Shibukawa 2010    abbreviation of National Museum of Nature and Science (Tokyo, Japan), which conducted the deep-water biological survey that collected the type series

Gobiopsis pinto (Smith 1947)    in honor of Adolfo Abranches Pinto (1895-1981), Military Commander of Mozambique, where this goby is endemic; Smith proposed a new genus for this species, Abranches, so that its original name, Abranches pinto, matched that of the honoree [presumably a noun in apposition, without the patronymic “i”]

Gobiopsis quinquecincta (Smith 1931)    quinque, five; cincta, belt or girdle, referring to five irregular reddish-brown cross-bands meeting on back and reaching more than half distance to median ventral line

Gobiopsis springeri Lachner & McKinney 1979    in honor of Victor G. Springer (b. 1928), Curator of Fishes, U.S. National Museum, who collected type

Gobiopsis uranophilus Prokofiev 2016    urano, heaven; philos, friend, referring to dorsal orientation of eyes, similar to the stargazer family, Uranoscopidae [usually –philus (loving) names are adjectives but its use here is as a noun (Artém Prokofiev, pers. comm.), so spelling does not need to be emended to agree with the feminine Gobiopsis]

Gobiopsis woodsi Lachner & McKinney 1978    in honor of Loren P. Woods (1914-1979), Curator of Fishes, Field Museum of Natural History (Chicago), who collected all but two of the known specimens at the time

Gobiosoma Girard 1858    gobius, goby; soma, body, allusion not explained; Girard established this genus for Gobius that are “deprived of scales”

Gobiosoma aceras (Ginsburg 1939)    a-, without; ceras, horn, presumably referring to absence of flaps on snout

Gobiosoma alfiei Joyeux & Macieira 2015    in honor of Alfredo (“Alfie”) Carvalho-Filho (b. 1950), a “self-made ichthyologist in his spare time, for his contribution to the advancement in the diversity and taxonomy of Brazilian marine fishes and his friendship”

Gobiosoma bosc (Lacepède 1800)    in honor of French naturalist Louis-Augustin Bosc d’Antic (1759-1828), whose manuscript provided the basis of Lacepède’s description [presumably a noun in apposition, without the patronymic “i”]

Gobiosoma chiquita (Jenkins & Evermann 1889)    diminutive of the Spanish (for its occurrence in western México) chico, a little one, referring to its size: it “seems to be one of the smallest gobies, the largest of our specimens being but 27mm long”

Gobiosoma ginsburgi Hildebrand & Schroeder 1928    in honor of colleague Isaac Ginsburg (1886-1975), goby taxonomist, U.S. National Museum, who identified many gobies for the authors’ monograph on fishes of Chesapeake Bay, and called attention to how this species differed from G. bosc

Gobiosoma grosvenori (Robins 1964)    in honor of Gilbert H. Grosvenor (1875-1966), former president of the National Geographic Society, which supported the reef research that found this species

Gobiosoma hemigymnum (Eigenmann & Eigenmann 1888)    hemi-, partial; gymnos, bare or naked, referring to scaleless anterior half of body

Gobiosoma hildebrandi (Ginsburg 1939)    in honor of Samuel F. Hildebrand (1883-1949), colleague at the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries, who collected type

Gobiosoma homochroma (Ginsburg 1939)    homos, same; chroma, color, referring to body color, “nearly uniformly and very moderately dusky”

Gobiosoma longipala Ginsburg 1933    longus, long; pala, shovel, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to middle rays of ventral disk reaching anal-fin origin

Gobiosoma nudum (Meek & Hildebrand 1928)    bare or naked, its “scales wanting”

Gobiosoma paradoxum (Günther 1861)    strange or contrary to expectation, allusion not explained nor evident [name seems more appropriate for G. seminudum, described in the same monograph: it has “such peculiar characteristics that it will be readily recognized. It has no natural affinity to the other small-scaled Gobies, which generally have an elongate form.”]

Gobiosoma robustum Ginsburg 1933    robust or full-bodied, referring to its “quite short and stocky” body

Gobiosoma schultzi (Ginsburg 1944)    in honor of Leonard P. Schultz (1901-1986), Curator of Fishes, U.S. National Museum (and Ginsburg’s boss), who collected type and provided notes on its ecology

Gobiosoma seminudum (Günther 1861)    semi-, half; nudum, bare, referring to scaleless head and anterior portion of trunk, and “exceedingly small” scales on sides, becoming somewhat larger posteriorly

Gobiosoma spes (Ginsburg 1939)    Latin for hope, referring to Mt. Hope, Panama Canal Zone, type locality

Gobiosoma spilotum (Ginsburg 1939)    spot or mark, presumably referring to a longitudinal median row of spots

Gobiosoma yucatanum Dawson 1971    –anum, belonging to: Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, where type locality (Quintana Roo) is situated

Gobitrichinotus Fowler 1943    gobius, goby, presumably referring to goby-like shape or appearance; Trichonotus, then placed in the sanddiver family Trichonotidae

Gobitrichinotus arnoulti Kiener 1963    patronym not identified, probably in honor of Kiener’s colleague at Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle (Paris), ichthyologist-herpetologist Jacques Arnoult (1914-1995)

Gobitrichinotus radiocularis Fowler 1943    radium, ray; ocularis, of the eye, referring to dark bar from eye to hind part of maxillary, and two others that “radiate” from hind part of each eye, expanding backward

Gobius Linnaeus 1758    from the Greek kóttos (κόττος), kṓthos (κῶθος) and a few similar words, denoting a bulging head, used as a name for small freshwater fishes with a large head (Gobius, freshwater gudgeon, and Cottus, sculpin, which some early naturalists conflated with gobies, have the same etymological source)

Subgenus Gobius

Gobius ater Bellotti 1888    black, referring to often uniformly black vertical and caudal fins (sometimes with small grayish spots)

Gobius ateriformis Brito & Miller 2001    formis, form or shape, referring to its superficial resemblance to G. ater

Gobius auratus Risso 1810    gold, referring to its golden-yellow body

Gobius bucchichi Steindachner 1870    in honor of Steindachner’s “highly esteemed friend” (translation), Croatian naturalist Gregorio Bucchich (1829-1911, also known as Grgo Bucˇic´), who collected type

Gobius cobitis Pallas 1814    ancient Greek for small fishes that bury in the bottom and/or are like a goby

Gobius couchi Miller & El-Tawil 1974    in honor of Jonathan Couch (1789-1870), “that indefatigable ichthyologist of Cornwall” (Yarrell, 1836) and author of A History of the Fishes of the British Islands (1862-67)

Gobius cruentatus Gmelin 1789    blood-red, presumably referring to red markings or blotches around mouth

Gobius fallax Sarato 1889    false or deceitful, referring to how it had previously been misidentified as either G. auratus, G. geniporus or G. ophiocephalus

Gobius gasteveni Miller 1974    in honor of G. A. (George Alexander) Steven (1901-1958), who worked extensively on the fishes of the western English Channel and was one of the first to recognize this goby as a species new to the area

Gobius geniporus Valenciennes 1837    genys, cheek; porus, hole or pore, referring to 4-5 large pores along edge of preoperculum

Gobius incognitus Kovačić & Šanda 2016    unknown, referring to relatively long period of time that passed until this common and widespread species (previously reported as G. bucchichi) was recognized and described

Gobius kolombatovici Kovačić & Miller 2000    in honor of Juraj Kolombatović (1843-1908), professor of mathematics, “one of the most important” Croatian taxonomists, and the only Croatian naturalist to have worked “intensively” on small inshore fishes (Blenniidae, Gobiidae, Tripterygiidae)

Gobius koseirensis Klunzinger 1871    –ensis, suffix denoting place: latinization of Quasir, referring to Al-Qusair, Red Sea Governorate, Egypt, type locality

Gobius luteus Kolombatović 1891    yellow, referring to it golden-yellow coloration

Gobius niger niger Linnaeus 1758    black, referring to its dark-brown color with indistinct black blotches, with males becoming almost black during the breeding season

Gobius niger jozo Linnaeus 1758    name for this goby in Rome, dating to at least Salviani’s Aquatilium animalium (1554)

Gobius paganellus Linnaeus 1758    latization of paganelli, Venetian name for this goby according to Rondelet (1554)

Gobius roulei de Buen 1928    in honor of French zoologist Louis Roule (1861-1942), who collected type

Gobius rubropunctatus Delais 1951    rubro-, red; punctatus, spotted, presumably referring to four orange spots at upper part of inner edge of pectoral fin

Gobius salamansa Iglésias, Frotté & Sellos 2015    named for the village of Salamansa, on the island of São Vicente, Cabo Verde, only known area of occurrence

Gobius scorteccii Poll 1961    in honor of herpetologist Giuseppe Scortecci (1898-1973), University of Genoa, who collected type

Gobius senegambiensis Metzelaar 1919    –ensis, suffix denoting place: etymology not explained, presumably referring to Senegambia, a region of west Africa occupying the area of present-day Senegal and Gambia, perhaps referring to type locality, Cansado Bay (now in present-day Mauritiana)

Gobius silveiraemartinsi Ihering 1893    of Silveira Martins, a municipality in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, where this species (of uncertain validity) appears to be endemic

Gobius tetrophthalmus Brito & Miller 2001    tetra, four; ophthalmus, eye, referring to the impression of four eyes when a living specimen is viewed from above, the pale ocellus in dark band crossing the upper border of each eye lying median to the dark pupil and pale sclera of the eye itself (possibly obscured in preserved specimens)

Gobius vittatus Vinciguerra 1883    striped, referring to chestnut-black stripe extending from snout to base of caudal fin

Gobius xanthocephalus Heymer & Zander 1992    xanthos, yellow; cephalus, head, upper part of head described as “canary yellow” (translation)

Gobius xoriguer Iglésias, Vukić & Šanda 2021    Catalan name for the Common Kestrel, Falco tinnunculus, a familiar falcon in Menorca, Balearic Islands (Spain), where first specimen (but not holotye) was collected; both goby and kestrel share an orange-brown coloration

Subgenus Zosterisessor Whitley 1935    Zostera, marine eelgrass genus; sessor, inhabitant, referring to occurrence of G. ophiocephalus in eelgrass meadows [replacement name for Zostericola Iljin 1927 (-cola, inhabitant of), preoccupied in Mollusca]

Gobius ophiocephalus Pallas 1814    ophio-, snake; cephalus, head, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to snake-like cycloid scales on head

Gobulus Ginsburg 1933    etymology not explained, possibly a diminutive of Gobius, reflecting Ginsburg’s belief that this genus was transitional between the families Eleotridae and Gobiidae

Gobulus birdsongi Hoese & Reader 2001    in honor of goby taxonomist Ray S. Birdsong (1935-1995), “a long time friend and colleague of the senior author, who provided valuable assistance and inspiration to [his] goby work”

Gobulus crescentalis (Gilbert 1892)    pertaining to a crescent, referring to a conspicuous brown crescent at base of caudal and pectoral fins

Gobulus hancocki Ginsburg 1938    in honor of Capt. George Allan Hancock (1875-1965), oil magnate and philanthropist, who led expedition that collected type, for his interest in the scientific exploration of Pacific waters

Gobulus myersi Ginsburg 1939    in honor of Stanford University ichthyologist George S. Myers (1905-1985), “who discovered and salvaged the type from a lot of neglected, unidentified, miscellaneous material while he was in charge of the Division of Fishes in the [U.S.] National Museum”

Gorogobius Miller 1978    goro, named for Gorée, off Dakar, Senegal, type locality for G. nigricinctus; gobius, goby

Gorogobius nigricinctus (Delais 1951)    nigro-, black; cinctus, girdle or belt, referring to numerous transverse, dark bands on head and encircling body

Gorogobius stevcici Kovačić & Schliewen 2008    in honor of carcinologist Zdravko Števćić, who encouraged and helped the first author in the beginning of his work on gobies

Grallenia Shibukawa & Iwata 2007    –ia, belonging to: ichthyologist Gerald R. Allen (G + R + Allen, b. 1942), Western Australia Museum (Perth), for his “great” contribution to our knowledge of the diversity of coral-reef fishes

Grallenia arenicola Shibukawa & Iwata 2007    arena, sand; colere, to inhabit, referring to sandy substrate habitat

Grallenia baliensis Allen & Erdmann 2012    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Bali, Indonesia, type locality

Grallenia cinnamea Allen, Erdmann & Cahyani 2024    Latin for of cinnamon, referring to the large, cinnamon-colored patch on side of abdomen

Grallenia compta Allen & Erdmann 2017    ornamented, referring to orange markings on head, body and fins

Grallenia dimorpha Allen & Erdmann 2017    di-, two; morpha, shape, referring to sexually dimorphic first dorsal fins (male fin rectangular with fifth spine longest and female fin triangular with first spine forming elongate filament)

Grallenia emarginata Allen, Erdmann & Cahyani 2024    Latin for emarginate or notched, referring to the shape of its caudal fin

Grallenia larsonae Allen & Hammer 2018    in honor of Helen Larson, Curator of Fishes, Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (Darwin, Australia), for her “extensive contribution to goby taxonomy and systematics, and who collected and carefully preserved most of the type specimens”

Grallenia lauensis Allen & Erdmann 2017    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Lau Archipelago (Fiji), type locality

Grallenia lipi Shibukawa & Iwata 2007    acronym of Lembaga Ilmu Pengetahuan Indonesia (Indonesian Institute of Science), referring to the fact that all examined specimens were captured during the JSPS (Japan Society for the Promotion of Science)-LIPI cooperative research on marine science at Ambon Island in 1999

Grallenia nigrifasciata Allen, Erdmann & Cahyani 2024    nigri, from niger, black; fasicata, banded, referring to basal black stripe on dorsal fins, its most conspicuous color marking in preserved specimens

Grallenia nigrimarginata Allen, Erdmann & Cahyani 2024    nigri, from niger, black; marginata, margined, referring to black margin on male anal fin

Grallenia ornata Allen, Erdmann & Cahyani 2024    Latin for ornate or decorated, referring to its unique female color phase, similar to that of males for other congeners

Grallenia rubrilineata Allen & Erdmann 2017    rubrum, red; lineatus, lined, referring to distinctive basal red or red-edged black stripe on both dorsal fins of adult males

Grallenia solomonensis Allen & Erdmann 2017    –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Solomon Islands, type locality

Grallenia sundaensis Allen, Erdmann & Cahyani 2024    –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Lesser Sunda Islands, Indonesia, where it occurs

Grallenia wandammenensis Allen, Erdmann & Cahyani 2024    –ensis, Latin suffix denoting place: Wandammen Peninsula, Cenderawasih Bay, West Papua Province, Indonesia, type locality

Gunnellichthys Bleeker 1858    gunnell (Pholis gunnellus, Perciformes: Pholidae), referring to gunnel-like shape of G. pleurotaenia and/or to its presumed close relationship to Pholidichthys (Cichliformes: Pholidichthyidae), all of which Bleeker regarded as blennies; ichthys, fish

Gunnellichthys copleyi (Smith 1951)    in honor of Hugh Copley, Fish Warden of Kenya, who collected “valuable ichthyological material,” including type of this goby

Gunnellichthys curiosus Dawson 1968    referring to its “curious body coloration” (lack of continuous dark lateral stripe as seen on congeners) and “unusual pubescence of the anterior head” (“snout and lower jaw clothed with microscopic villi”)

Gunnellichthys grandoculis (Kendall & Goldsborough 1911)    grand, large; oculis, eye, referring to its “very large eyes”

Gunnellichthys irideus Smith 1958    rainbow-like, presumably referring to its multiple colors: purple, yellow, red green, blue, orange and “milky white”

Gunnellichthys monostigma Smith 1958    mono-, one; stigma, mark or spot, presumably referring to small black spot on rear of gill cover

Gunnellichthys pleurotaenia Bleeker 1858    pleuro-, side; taenia, ribbon, referring to brown, white-edged streak from snout, through eye, to middle of caudal fin

Gunnellichthys viridescens Dawson 1968    viridis, green; –escens, becoming, referring to its generally greenish appearance

Gymneleotris Bleeker 1874    gymnos, bare or naked, referring to scaleless head and trunk of G. seminuda; Eleotris, referring to previous placement in that genus and/or reflecting Bleeker’s classification of this taxon in a phalanx he called Eleotrini

Gymneleotris seminuda (Günther 1864)    semi-, partial; nudus, bare or naked, referring to scaleless head and trunk but scaled tail

Gymnesigobius Kovačić, Ordines, Ramirez-Amaro & Schliewen 2019    named for Gymnesian Islands, Greek name for Balearic Islands, western Mediterranean, only known area of occurrence; gobius, goby

Gymnesigobius medits Kovačić, Ordines, Ramirez-Amaro & Schliewen 2019    named for MEDITS (International bottom trawl survey in the Mediterranean), whose work made the discovery of this species possible

Hazeus Jordan & Snyder 1901    latinization of haze, Japanese name for a small goby

Hazeus ammophilus Allen & Erdmann 2023    ammos, sand; philo, to love, referring to its predilection for sand-bottom habitats [name proposed in 2021 but not made available until 2023]

Hazeus elati (Goren 1984)    of Elat (also spelled Eliat), Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea, northern Red Sea, Israel, type locality

Hazeus ingressus Engin, Larson & Irmak 2018    enter, step or go into, referring to how this goby, described from Turkey but likely native to the Red Sea, presumably entered the Mediterranean via the Suez Canal

Hazeus maculipinna (Randall & Goren 1993)    macula, spot or mark; pinna, fin, referring to black spot on first dorsal fin

Hazeus nephodes (Jordan 1925)    cloudy, referring to yellowish-white ground color, “much mottled, streaked, and clouded with olive brown” [author is not David Starr Jordan but his son, Eric Knight]

Hazeus otakii Jordan & Snyder 1901    in honor of Keinosuke Otaki (d. 1911), Professor of English at the Imperial Military Academy of Tokyo and a former zoology student at Stanford University (where Jordan was president), who accompanied the authors in their travels through northern Japan, and to whom they were indebted for many favors (e.g., interpreter and secretary)

Hazeus paucisquamatus Allen, Erdmann & Brooks 2024    paucus, few or scanty; squamatus, scaled, referring to its reduced preopercular scalation (three scales on upper rear corner)

Hazeus profusus Allen & Erdmann 2023    abundant or profuse, referring to its abundance on sand-bottom habitats [name proposed in 2021 but not made available until 2023]

Hetereleotris Bleeker 1874    heteros, different, allusion not explained, perhaps referring to its main difference (ctenoid scales) from Brachyeleotris (=Asterropteryx, described in the same paper, cycloid scales); Eleotris, perhaps reflecting Bleeker’s classification of this taxon in a phalanx he called Eleotrini

Hetereleotris apora (Hoese & Winterbottom 1979)    a-, without; porus, pore, referring to lack of sensory canal openings on head

Hetereleotris aurantiaca Kovačić, Bogorodsky & Mal 2019    orange, referring to prevalence of orange color in head, body and fin rays

Hetereleotris bipunctata Tortonese 1976    bi-, two; punctata, spotted, referring to rounded black blotch immediately behind head above gill opening, and a second one at upper part of caudal-fin base

Hetereleotris caminata (Smith 1958)    like or having an oven, furnace or fireplace, allusion not explained nor evident

Hetereleotris diademata (Rüppell 1830)    a cloth headband, probably referring to brown stripe that passes over forehead and through eyes to operculum

Hetereleotris dorsovittata Kovačić & Bogorodsky 2014    dorsum, back; vittata, banded, referring to longitudinal black submarginal bands on first and second dorsal fins

Hetereleotris exilis Shibukawa 2010    slender, referring to its very slender body, unique in the genus

Hetereleotris georgegilli Gill 1998    in honor of the author’s father, George Burton Gill (1925-1994)

Hetereleotris kenyae Smith 1958    of Vuma, northern Kenya, type locality

Hetereleotris margaretae Hoese 1986    in honor of Margaret Mary Smith (1916-1987), first director of the J.L.B. Smith Institute of Ichthyology (now the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity)

Hetereleotris nasoramosa Kovačić, Bogorodsky, Zajonz & Tornabene 2021    naso, nose; ramosa, branched, referring to well-developed, branched process extending from rims of both anterior and posterior nostrils

Hetereleotris nebulofasciata (Smith 1958)    nebulosus, cloudy or dark; fasciata, banded, presumably referring to 5-6 crossbars formed by brown “specklings” and/or dusky bar down over cheek from hind part of eye

Hetereleotris poecila (Fowler 1946)    variegated, referring to dark-brown bands on pectoral fins, first deflected backwards below, then in “pale intervals each with several dark spots”

Hetereleotris psammophila Kovačić & Bogorodsky 2014    psammos, sand; phila, loving, referring to its sand-bottom habitat

Hetereleotris semisquamata Kovačić, Bogorodsky & Mal 2019    semi-, half; squamata, scaly, refers to reduced squamation, tapering from caudal-fin base along lateral midline towards pectoral fin, nearly reaching its base, the belly scaleless

Hetereleotris tentaculata (Smith 1958)    tentacled, referring to a large fleshy tentacle above each eye

Hetereleotris vinsoni Hoese 1986    in honor of Jean-Michel Vinson, zoologist and scientific illustrator, who illustrated the types of H. margaretae and this species, as well as other gobiid species

Hetereleotris vulgaris (Klunzinger 1871)    common, described as “very common” (translation) among Stylophora coral in the Red Sea

Hetereleotris zanzibarensis (Smith 1958)    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Zanzibar, Tanzania, western Indian Ocean, type locality

Hetereleotris zonata (Fowler 1934)    banded, referring to its broad, blackish-brown bands, one obliquely down from eye toward preopercular angle, and a broader band below first dorsal fin

Heterogobius Bleeker 1874    heteros, different, distinguished from the superficially similar Acanthogobius (Oxudercidae) in having a deeply emarginate tail; gobius, goby (perhaps in this case a shortening of Acanthogobius)

Heterogobius chiloensis (Guichenot 1848)    –ensis, suffix denoting place: Isla de Chiloé, near San Carlos, Chile, type locality

Heteroplopomus Tomiyama 1936    etymology not explained, perhaps heteros, different; [h]oplo, armed; pomus, lid or covering (operculum), “distinguished from other genera of Gobiidae by the presence of a pair of weak spines directed forward from the inner margin of lower jaw”

Heteroplopomus barbatus (Tomiyama 1934)    bearded, referring to small barbel on end of lower lip (a characteristic that easily distinguished this goby from its presumed Japanese congeners in Rhinogobius [Oxudercidae])